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Opposition Research: San Francisco 49ers (W13)

Welcome to another edition of Opposition Research, where I’ll be taking a look at the next Packers opponent, the San Francisco 49ers (4-7). After being woefully negligent in my planning of this week’s offering, I must apologize for the lack of polish to this week’s post. However, I do have some thoughts about this matchup that you might find interesting

Coming into this game, the 49ers are… as close to the playoffs as the Packers are. One game back in the miserable NFC West, the 4-7 squad has yet to be eliminated. Their 27-6 victory over Arizona on Monday Night Football was pretty darn near complete, with the team that bounced the Packers from the playoffs a year ago looking like they hadn’t prepared for the game.

Will the 49ers’ complete dominance over the Cardinals have any impact on tomorrow’s matchup? I’m not convinced.

We are mere relics of what we were back then under Steve Mariucci, George Seifert and the creator of it all Bill Walsh. The West Coast Offense was our trademark we created it and super-sized it into excellence to the point that everyone wanted to copy it or make hybrids out of it. Mike Nolan destroyed it and now Mike Singeltary continues that tradition by not embracing what made us become great from the very beginning. Alex Smith is not and will never be the quarterback we should've drafted in 2005 and that is the very quarterback we will face this up and coming Sunday in Aaron Rodgers.

Q: On whether Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is playing at a higher level than last year:

A: I think so. I think just watching him over the games he's played so far, he's doing a good job. Mike's (McCarthy) an ex-quarterbacks coach, understands systems. Aaron Rodgers has the arm, he has the speed, he has everything you're looking for in a quarterback and it's finally showing after a couple years. I don't know how many years he's been there, but he's actually progressing pretty nicely. He's a talented football player.

Really, 49ers coach? You have no idea how many years Aaron Rodgers has been in the league? The guy your team could have had with the #1 pick in 2005? The guy you passed over instead of the guy that’s currently sitting on your bench even though he’s perfectly healthy?

Without the services of Frank Gore, a player who amassed 1,305 yards from scrimmage in a little over 10 games, the 49ers will need a sound performance against a talented Green Bay defense which thrives when play

In order for the 49ers to snap their struggles in Lambeau, an entire team effort, much like the one demonstrated in the desert will be needed.

What We’re Up Against:

If I were in the 49ers’ gameplanning meetings this past week, I might suggest something drastic – with Frank Gore out, they should shape the offense around Brian Westbrook.

I know it was only one game, against one of the league’s worst defenses, but Westbrook looked darn good on Sunday. A completely different kind of runner, it makes no sense for the 49ers to plug him in to do the work that Gore did so effectively until last week (203-853-3). I recognize that the 49ers want to be a power running team, first and foremost. Westbrook, at 31, simply won’t last if he’s rushing up the middle 25 times a game (not to mention that Atlanta’s Michael Turner revealed the Packers’ defense to be flimsy on the edges). Instead, he’s the ideal tailback for the breed of West Coast offense played in Philly – soft hands as a receiver and deceptively hard to tackle.

Tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker (who gets even more targets than Davis) are both excellent receivers, both over the middle and along the sidelines. If newish starting QB Troy Smith has trouble seeing the whole field, perhaps it would be beneficial to focus on the short passing game with Davis and Walker until he find the matchup that will let him throw to Michael Crabtree down the field. Let the physical Davis fight for YAC and keep moving the chains. If rookie RT Anthony Davis is so concerned about his matchup with Clay Matthews that he won’t talk about it, alternating screens to Westbrook with delayed handoffs to rookie Anthony Dixoncan slow the rush.

On defense, they’re actually performing well (with the talent they have). I still believe that Aubrayo Franklin is one of the best nose tackles in the league, and RE Justin Smith is probably even better. Behind them, ILBPatrick Willis has grown into a monster under coach Mike Singletary’s tutelage (imagine if Singletary was a position coach and got more one-on-one time with the guy…frightening). One of LeRoy Butler’s keys to the game involves keeping Willis and fellow LB Takeo Spikes away from Aaron Rodgers, and for good reason – with Spikes as the “clear-out” guy, Willis comes up the middle with fire and purpose. He’s tied with Smith for the team lead with 5 sacks, and will be looking for more.

Wisconsin native Chris Maragos is a 49ers rookie looking to make his NFL debut tomorrow. He thinks their special teams match up well, and… provided it doesn’t result in a Ted Ginn Jr. touchdown, I wish him well.

Had the Packers beaten the Falcons, I likely would have seen this as a trap game of sorts. The Packers, on a five-game win streak, fresh off a victory over the conference’s best, might have stumbled against a plucky team with oodles of talent that sometimes (but not often) manages to make the most of its opportunities. I had images of Charles Woodson hunting for picks instead of tackling, of Frank Gore revisiting that 40-yd gallop he had last year again and again, and of Patrick Willis setting up camp in the Packers’ backfield.

But the Packers didn’t win last week. They aren’t 8-3, with a fast track to a playoff bye and home-field advantage. Instead, they lost another game by three points in a battle that could have been won, had it not been for one or two poor decisions. They sit at 7-4, and would be watching the playoffs at home if the season ended today.

Will that make a difference? I think so. McCarthy preaches that the toughest thing his players must learn is “how to handle success,” but that won’t be a factor here. Hopefully, the sting of Sunday’s defeat will sharpen the Packers’ daggers for a December push.

Quote

"I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious."